Reinforced archive box comprising a cover safety lock and a built-in card case

ABSTRACT

This invention is a box with safety locks on its lid and an integrated cardholder for storing documents. 
     The reinforced filing box with safety lock on the lid and integrated cardholder is designed in such a way as to be assembled from a one-piece template of any laminated material, without having to staple, glue or otherwise join it, which provides resistance to the load placed upon it, according to the needs of the use to be fulfilled. The box can be assembled with fewer sides if necessary. 
     Said box has safety locks that once shut will not let the lid remain open, thus providing maximum protection against the entrance of dust or pests. 
     This box has no incision on the inside that passes to the outside, including the incision for the handles, and it also has a protective flange so as not to damage one&#39;s fingers, which allows for the documents to be safe from external agents that may damage them. 
     Said box includes an integrated cardholder which can be placed on any of the sides of the box, since it is made of the same material that shapes the template of the box in such a way that it can be adapted to any of the sides of the wall. The cardholder provides the advantage of being able to classify the box&#39;s content as often as necessary, because it allows for adding or removing cards as many time as is needed. Costs are reduced because this box can be recycled as often as necessary.

INVENTED OBJECT

This invention is a reinforced filing box made up of thirteen vertical sides or walls that will provide resistance to the weight of the load placed upon said box, with the purpose of keeping the documents in better condition despite the heavy load that may be placed upon the box in which they are kept. The arrangement of the sides of the box has been calculated in such a way that the empty box can bear a weight greater than that which it would regularly carry. Said box has safety locks on its lid to prevent it from accidentally opening once it contains documents, with the purpose of not allowing in dust or any type of pests and thus keep the documents in better conditions. Said box has an integrated cardholder so that documents can be recycled and reclassified in a practical manner. By reusing this box, costs can be saved.

BACKGROUND

Commercially available boxes are very simple and are not very resistant, regardless of the material with which they are made. Die design leaves unusable parts that must be discarded, which increases costs since the sheet of material to be die-cut is not made the most of. Therefore, the boxes are not adequately resistant to support the frequent use to which they are subjected, which causes the projecting edges to come away, and causes overlap and deformation of the boxes, making their use more difficult. Also, said boxes do not provide sufficient fastening of the lid when they are shut, so dust or pests can get inside and damage the documents. Furthermore, the cuts performed on the handles always face inwards where the documents are located, causing the aforementioned problems, and they do not provide protection against harm to the fingers. Experience has also shown that boxes are marked with adhesive labels that come off with time, because either the glue wears out or the boxes are rubbed together. This way, all information regarding the content of the box is lost. In order to solve said problems, I have come up with a novel design called reinforced filing box with safety lock on the lid and integrated cardholder, which makes it advantageous on all fronts: it has new and improved structure and assembly features, it is considerably more resistant, I have made better use of the materials and the integrated cardholder makes it more versatile. All in all, it is a novel kind of filing box.

I will hereby describe the development of this box:

This invention is a one-piece filing box that does not require any of its parts to be glued, stapled or otherwise joined. It is reinforced and improved and can be assembled with either eight, nine, ten, eleven or thirteen sides or walls to its body, according to the use and resistance needs to be fulfilled. It is made up of four vertical sides, one horizontal side on its lid and three horizontal sides inside, using the materials from the same sheet that it was cut from, which used to be thrown away, and which now makes the design more resistant to the load placed upon it. Once assembled, the box has no perforation or die cut (including the one made for the handles that faces the inside of the box) that could let in dust or other material that could damage the documents. The integrated cardholder considerably modifies the way in which the contents of a box are labeled or classified and is made with the same die cut or incision in the material. This allows for adding or removing cards in a practical manner, which are held by the same material the box is made of. The cardholder can be placed on any of the sides of the box and its shape can be modified. The box has locks or tongues of the same material integrated into its body that fasten the lid shut in its original position. The box may be made of cardboard, plastic or any other material that can be used to assemble the templates, be it partially or wholly, according to the resistance and use made of it. Said templates are die cut, the folding lines are marked, and the templates have tongues, flanges or flaps.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To provide a better idea of the advantages and novelties provided by this invention, following is a detailed description:

This filing box has a characteristic design that allows it to be assembled with eight, nine, ten, eleven or thirteen vertical sides or walls, not counting the lid, and which depends on the use to be made of it and the amount of sides to be used and discarded. It must be remembered that its resistance will depend on the number of sides used. The most resistant box, which will also save the most material, is the one with thirteen vertical sides, because no material will be wasted when the templates are die-cut, eliminating the cost of recycling or disposing of the parts of the template that were normally thrown away. Said parts are made the most of with this design, and provide greater resistance to the load placed upon the box.

Taking this into account, one will save having to recycle boxes that don't provide adequate resistance for the rough and frequent use these boxes are subjected to.

To better safeguard the documents kept in these boxes, they are equipped with safety locks integrated into the design with no floating or external parts that need to be put together for the assembly of said safety locks. The safety locks make it possibile to keep the lid shut in its position, even though the box is handled roughly or stacked, thus avoiding the entrance of dust or pests that could damage the documents.

The perforations made for the handles of this filing box protect the fingers of the person carrying the box, because the same incision leaves a projecting edge that protects one from the sharp edges that may be harmful. Said perforation does not go all the way into the inner part of the box, therefore avoiding the entrance of dust or pests into the box.

Another important feature of this box is the cardholder, which has been designed in such a way as to be integrated into the box, because it is assembled through the same design, and there is no need for external material upon assembling the box. Taking all this into consideration, one is spared the use of adhesive labels which in time will fall off and prevent one from seeing how the box was classified. This cardholder will provide one with the opportunity to change the box's classification as many times as necessary, and this way it will be easier to change information for classifying the documents, at the same time lowering expenses and making the boxes recyclable.

There is the possibility that depending on the needs, the cardholder could be moved to another part of the box to make handling and reading of the label easier.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The novel and characteristic details of the filing box are clearly illustrated in the attached drawings, where the same points of reference are used to indicate the parts and figures shown. For a better description, let's return to the design features of the filing box, which can be made up of eight, nine, ten, eleven or thirteen vertical sides not counting the lid, depending on the use to be made of it and the amount of sides to be used and discarded. It must be remembered that the box's resistance will depend on the number of sides used. As shown on the following list, the faces that can be used for each assembly according to the numbering for the template on FIG. 1 are:

-   8 vertical sides with faces: 18, 12, 5, 16, 10, 3, 2, 15. -   9 vertical sides with faces: 18, 12, 5, 16, 10, 3, 2, 15, 13. -   10 vertical sides with faces: 18, 12, 5, 16, 10, 3, 2, 15, 1, 14 -   11 vertical sides with faces: 18, 12, 5, 16, 10, 3, 2, 15, 13, 19, 6 -   13 vertical sides with faces: 18, 12, 5, 16, 10, 3, 2, 15, 13, 19,     6, 1, 14

The assembly of any of the above may be made in a similar manner by following the figures and removing the faces not to be used. Following is a detailed description of each one:

Figure No. 1 shows a perspective view of the template where one can clearly see each incision where the box will be folded, and shown on the template as a dotted line. The template is made up of 23 faces numbered individually so they can be located more readily. Throughout the template can be seen the incisions or die cuts for the handles (A) located on faces (No. 14, 16, 18, 19, 1, 3, 5, 6). Please note that the faces (No. 3 and 16) of the handle's die cut incision will leave a flange that will be folded towards the inside until it meets the internal protection wall (No. 15) that will protect the fingers when the box is loaded with a certain weight. Also shown are the incisions for the lid's safety lock (B) located between the faces (No. 15, 16 and 2, 3) and the integrated cardholder with its flanges and folds (C) that will be located on the face (No. 16). It must be remembered that the cardholder's location can be changed according to one's needs.

In another one of the template's faces can be seen the perforations or slots where the cardholder's flanges (D) will be inserted, located on the face (No. 18). Also shown in this template are the flanges (E) located between faces (No. 14 and 15, 1 and 2) of the assembly, as well as its slots (F) where these same flanges will be lodged, which are located on the faces (No. 17 and 4). In the same manner, also shown are the slots (G) located on the face (No. 9) that will serve to lodge the flanges (H) located on the face (No. 7) that will assemble the lid by introducing the faces (No. 22 and 23 between 7 and 8). Also shown are the slots (I) located on the faces (No. 20 and 21) where the flanges of the locks (B) will go, and that are located between the faces (No. 15, 16 and 2, 3).

Figure No. 2 shows a perspective view of the box, as seen from the upper left part of the design, where one can see that the faces (No. 21, 23, 1, 2, 3) are folded over the dotted line towards the center as shown by the reference arrows drawn on the templates. The face (No. 4) folds towards the face (No. 3), forming a 90-degree angle towards the inside of the design. One can also see that on the opposite end one must also make a fold, following the direction of the reference arrow, in the same manner for the faces (No. 20, 22, 14, 15, 16). Likewise, the face (No. 17) is folded towards the inside of the design in a 90-degree angle to the face (No. 16), where the face (No. 16) contains the cardholder; here can be seen part of the incision made for the lock (B) of the lid, passing from the face (No. 16) to the face (No. 15). Also shown is the other lock (B) that runs from the face (No. 3) to the face (No. 2). Please note that this has started the fold towards the inside on the lower part of the template as shown by the reference arrow, and that will give shape to the double faces to be included inside the assembly formed by the faces (No. 5, 6, 12, 13, 18 and 19).

Figure No. 3 shows a perspective view of the box, as seen from the upper left part of the design, giving continuity to the assembly steps of the filing box, where it can be seen that the face (No. 11) has been folded under the face (No. 17 and 4) over the same 90-degree angle they previously held. The faces (No. 5, 6, 12, 13, 18 and 19) will follow in this folding, and one can see that the faces (No. 5 and 6) start to fold towards the inside, as indicated by the reference arrow in a 90-degree angle to the face (No. 13). Also, the faces (No. 18 and 19) follow the direction of the corresponding arrow (No. 13) and start to form a 90-degree angle to the face (No. 13). One can also see that the face (No. 1) has started to fold over the face (No. 2) in the direction of the reference arrow, as well as the face (No. 14) over the face (No. 15) in the direction of the corresponding arrow.

Figure No. 4 shows a perspective view of the box, as seen from the upper left part of the design, giving continuity to the assembly steps of the filing box, where one can see that the faces (No. 5, 6, 12, 13, 18 and 19) start to insert themselves inside the design of the box in the direction of the reference arrows.

Figure No. 5 shows a perspective view of the box, as seen from the upper right part, towards the inside of the design, for assembling the cardholder, thus giving continuity to the assembly steps of the filing box, where one can see that, by separating the faces (No. 18 and 19), the flanges of the cardholder located on the face (No. 16) start to insert themselves in the slots located on the face (No. 18) for its assembly.

Figure No. 6 shows a perspective view of the box, as seen from the upper right part, towards the inside of the design, for assembling the cardholder, thus giving continuity to the assembly steps of the filing box, where one can see that the card holder has been completely assembled by folding the flanges towards the center of the face (No. 18), and then covering this face with the face (No. 19).

Figure No. 7 shows a perspective view of the box, as seen from the upper right part, towards the inside of the design, thus giving continuity to the assembly steps of the filing box, where one can see that the face (No. 19) has covered the face (No. 18), where the flanges of the cardholder are already closed towards the center. One can also see that the faces (No. 1 and 2) and (No. 14 and 15) start to fold towards the inside to finish the assembly of the box. All that is left is to assemble the lid.

Figure No. 8 shows a perspective view of the box, as seen from the upper left part of the design, to begin the assembly steps of the lid of the filing box, where one can see that the face (No. 20) has been folded in a 90-degree angle over the face (No. 9), as well as the face (No. 22) has been folded in a 90-degree angle over the face (No. 20). One can also see that the face (No. 21) is at a 90-degree angle over the face (No. 9), and that the face (No. 23) is at a 90-degree angle over the face (No. 21).

Figure No. 9 shows a perspective view of the box, as seen from the upper left part of the design, thus giving continuity to the assembly steps of the lid of the filing box, where one can see that the lid has been fully assembled. The face (No. 7) has been folded towards the inside of the face (No. 8), wrapping the faces (No. 22 and 23) and assembling the flanges of the face (No. 7) in its fastening slots. This completes the assembly of the lid.

Figure No. 10 shows a perspective view of the box where one can see that the lid has been placed in its position, covering the box. This leaves only the safety locks to be secured on the lid.

Figure No. 11 shows a perspective view of the fully assembled box with the security locks in place.

Figure No. 12 shows a perspective view from the outside where one can see the fully assembled cardholder (C), as well as the insertion therein of the box's classification with a card that will be held by the cardholder's flanges and the sides of the face (No. 16), which will frame it in this face (No. 18) and keep it fastened in this manner so that it cannot move from this position unless one were to purposely change it.

Figure No. 13 shows a perspective view, as seen from the upper left part, where one can see that the classifying card has been fit into the cardholder. Also shown are two images, C1 and C2. C1 is a frontal view that shows how the card placed in the cardholder is fastened by the cardholder's flanges and framed by the face (No. 16). Please note that these flanges are fastened to the face (No. 18). View C2 shows the cardholder from the back where one can see the flanges that fasten the card and the flanges that will be fastened to the face (No. 18), where the face (No. 16) frames the card and the face (No. 18) supports the card. Said face (No. 18) is not shown. 

1. A template of a storage container comprising: a sheet of material defining a plurality of faces and configured to be folded into a storage container, the storage container comprising a lid and a plurality of vertical sides, wherein the plurality of vertical sides are formed from at least eight of the faces.
 2. The template of claim 1 wherein the template is die cut.
 3. The template of claim 2 wherein the storage container further comprises a safety lock.
 4. The template of claim 3 wherein the storage container further comprises a cardholder.
 5. The template of claim 1 wherein the plurality of vertical sides are formed from at least nine of the faces.
 6. The template of claim 5 wherein the plurality of vertical sides are formed from at least ten of the faces.
 7. The template of claim 6 wherein the plurality of vertical sides are formed from at least eleven of the faces.
 8. The template of claim 7 wherein the plurality of vertical sides are formed from at least thirteen of the faces. 